"What a good wine, Bishop!" Gonzalo. Morality. Córdoba exclaimed, "I should have come to see you earlier!" ”

Although Pius III had strict orders not to disturb Giulio at will. The Medici recuperated, but there were always exceptions, such as Juana, the princess of Spain, and General Gonzalo of Spain. Juana was allowed because people had to compromise with her identity and madness, and General Gonzalo was because he had been in cahoots with Giulio in the last war with Italy...... Oh no, the cooperation tacitly connected Charles VIII, Ludovico, Sforza, Borgia, Frevice II of Naples and even Louis XII and a whole bunch of people, the "Spaniards who sold artillery" could become the devil of their crucifixion and curse for a long time.

Of course, they will not know that these expensive artillery (the seller even shamelessly asks them for shipping!) In fact, it comes from Nuoro, Italy, in Sardinia, which is an island between Italy and Spain, where General Gonzalo had a fief, but was not very wealthy, and the few people who lived only by raising goats before Giulio intervened - which is why Giulio would have a casting base for new arquebuses and cannons, and Sardinia is above the iron-rich island of Elba, Sardinia produces lignite of its own, which is not good for steelmaking, but it is not a problem if it is used to smelt black iron - and Nuoro is located in the middle of the Italian peninsula, so that ships carrying artillery can disembark in any port close to the buyer, although Gonzalo and Giulio's merchants swear that these powerful little ones were brought to Italy from the far heart of Spain.

General Gonzalo and Giulio made unimaginable profits from these dangerous and brutal wars, and in contrast to Giulio who spent all of this money on comforting the homeless, building new towns, and unconditionally supporting his teacher, General Gonzalo now squandered them with military qualities on the replenishment of troops, equipment, and provisions, which he had won in 1494 during Charles VIII's invasion of Italy at the battles of Seminara and Fornovo, and captured the king of France. But he was always haunted by his previous defeats, and in the Battle of Fornovo, he saw how the arquebus, which had not been taken into his eyes before, broke out with unexpected power, which others may not think, but as a natural commander and a keen warrior, he immediately grasped the most important key point - it was the hot weapon that sounded the death knell of the heavy knight.

And compared to knights who need to be taught and trained for ten or twenty years, an arquebusier can quickly become a triumphant in a few months, and the cost performance is self-evident. Gonzalo. Morality. As soon as Cordo returned to Spain in 1495, he recommended to the two monarchs the idea of arquebuses, arquebusiers, infantry columns, and artillery units that had been lingering in his mind - he had strong support from Queen Isabella I of Castile, but in 1500 he was still helping the Venetians fight the pagans of Ottoman Turkey. It wasn't until Louis XII began his official invasion of Italy that he hurried back, but fortunately it wasn't too late – Louis XII's journey was not as simple as he had imagined, and even with the full support of Pope Alexander VI, his family, and his vassals, the ambitious French king was slowed down by the Sforza in Milan, so much so that he had to compromise with the Spaniards and promise the two countries to divide Naples in the face of Naples' almost desperate barriers.

But when Frevice II of Naples was driven out of Naples, the agreement between Spain and the French was dead in name only, and they did not quarrel for a day over the division of the line, and when Alexander VI died suddenly, the dispute between the two countries became more and more intense—not in words or words, but in the sword and artillery.

"At first," said Gonzalo, "my superiority was not obvious, for the French, who had gathered the remnants of Borgia's army, numbered twenty-eight thousand, and I had only a fraction of them, and they had forty guns, and we had only twenty, and I had to wait until the thousand arquebusiers and fifty cannons that your lads had trained for me were in place. You may not imagine how tense it must have been, but we first arrived at a vineyard in Cerignola, which was probably the highest point within a radius of ten miles, and we had just dug a trench and the French cavalry arrived......"

"Do you mean trenches?" Giulio asked with interest, "Is it the kind I thought I was?" ”

"Yes," Gonzalo scratched a bone in his butter chowder, "and that's it, I've seen hunters catch goats in this way—I think, maybe they can be used against the French cavalry—and when their horses come to the front of the trench, they either fall or stop, and I ask my lads to raise their arquebuses—as you did at the Battle of Forvona, three horizontal columns, shooting in turns, and with the result that we had only six hundred men at the time, and we were holding back ten thousand. ”

"What an impressive feat," Giulio said with a smile, pouring Gonzalo a glass of wine.

"It's really nothing, the real horror is yet to come." Gonzalo clutched his glass, "The French army soon surrounded us, and fortunately I chose to occupy the high ground in the first place, and had the lads dig more trenches day and night, so that when the French attacked us, their horses would not be able to exert their maximum speed - but the arrogant French did not see it as an obstacle that could turn the tide, and after laughing at me, they launched two waves of cavalry in succession, intent on overwhelming our camp at once, But as soon as I saw that they had to slow down, I ordered the arquebusiers on either side to shoot, and they fell instantly.

Even if a few men were lucky enough to break through the arquebus's coverage and not break their legs in the trenches, they would not be able to break through the spearmen I had arranged there for a long time.

They immediately chose our seemingly weak right flank to attack, yes, there were fewer arquebusiers on the right flank than on the left flank and in the center, for I had not yet cleared all the grapes there, but, dear Julio, guess what I had arranged there? ”

"Cannon."

"That's right, it's a cannon," Gonzalo said, his eyebrows fluttering, and he almost spilled the wine in his hand, "I remember how you stopped Caesar in the first place. Borgia's, I hid the cannons and gunners behind the dense crepes of grapes and their shelves, and when the French thought they had found our weak point, the dense iron pellets swept through their cavalry like a storm, and because of the grape brackets and vines, they could not even rush in front of the artillery emplacement.

I did not know at the time that the commander of the French, the Duke of Nemours, Louis. Damare, among these knights, was a respectable warrior. At this point, Gonzalo took off his soft hat: "Charge ahead - very brave, worthy of admiration." ”

"But as a commander." Gonzalo put the soft hat back on his head: "It's a bit reckless, although I didn't know he was among the knights, but the French suddenly became flustered, can I not see it?" Although there was another Swiss, the leader of the mercenaries, who fought with the surviving knights of the Edict to launch another attack at all costs, this time, without even using the third column of arquebusiers, they were routed again, and the leader of the Swiss mercenaries died in the attack. ”

We took the opportunity to launch a counter-attack, and although we had only 8,000 men at that time, and the French still had more than 20,000, they had lost their confidence and courage, and they had no one to lead them, and they ran about like lambs chased by wolves, and I drove them to the Gliano River.

Later, Barto of Naples brought me reinforcements of about 5,000 men, and we had 13,000 men, so I decided to attack the French with only spearmen and arquebusiers, and God willing, and this time I was victorious. ”

"God willing," said Giulio, "I hear that you have lost only five hundred men this time, while the French have lost twenty thousand?" ”

"It's an exaggeration, our battle losses are about 1,000 men, while the French are about 12,000 men." Gonzalo said sincerely: "The French are not cowardly, and they know how to use artillery, but it can only be said that they are not yet accustomed to this way of fighting—or rather, the knights of the edict have brought them so many victories and glory that they cannot give up or change, but I think that after this time, they will also try to take more reasonable measures." ”

He raised his glass, "But I think we can surprise them a little in the battle that follows, Archbishop, haven't you worked on something interesting lately?" It doesn't have to be artillery, it's not bad to have a colorless liquor like this, yes, don't pour me wine, I prefer that kind - when you drink it, it's like drinking a fire, and a small glass can make you feel hot. ”

"It's for you to heal," said Giulio helplessly, "not for you to drink with water." ”

"Wine is of course the best at a feast, or when a beautiful woman is on the side, but there is nothing better in the field, especially in winter, than that colorless wine, with which my arquebusiers will not be slowed down by stiff fingers."

"If you do need something," said Giulio, "I'll have something else for you." But don't let the soldiers drink that colorless drink anymore, if you're not careful, you'll die. ”

"Thank you so much." Gonzalo said, "But don't let the Holy Father know that he already hates me. He stroked his smooth chin: "I really don't understand, am I not cute enough?" Many people love me, from Spain to Portugal, French women to Neapolitan women. ”

Giulio laughed, Gonzalo was indeed a lovely man, although he was fifty-one years old, his temples were frosty, and he had deep laugh lines at the corners of his eyes and lips, but he had a charm that no one else could match, which was a special feature that had been given to him by his nearly thirty years of war, which those who lived a prosperous and peaceful life could never obtain, and sometimes could not understand.

"So why are you here?" Giulio asked, "Is it a pilgrimage to Rome or a consecration of Mass?" ”

At this, Gonzalo's countenance could not help but have a melancholy shadow on his countenance, like a dark cloud covering the sun: "The king has ordered me to return to Spain as soon as possible. "Although it was nominally said that Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II were to be solemnly rewarded for his great military exploits, as soon as the French had signed the Gliano Agreement and withdrew from Naples, he was stripped of his governorship and the title of general, left his army, and returned to Spain alone—the true intention of which was so clear that Gonzalo just didn't want to think about it.

He took a heavy breath and raised the corners of his mouth to the little friend who couldn't help but be a little worried between his eyebrows: "Forget it," he said, "The most important quality of a courtier is loyalty, if they need me to go to the battlefield, I will go, if they need me to go home, I will go home." ”

“…… "Yes," he said after a moment of silence, "I am not here for a pilgrimage, not for the dedication of Mass, but for my own ...... I mean, for our princess Juana," he stood up and bowed deeply to Giulio solemnly, "I think I must apologize to you on her behalf, and express my gratitude—Archbishop, for treating her humbly and gently, despite her rudeness toward you—my cousin has sent me a letter. ”

"Your cousin?"

"Yes, it's the unfortunate lord." Gonzalo remembered what his cousin had written to him, and he was amused and sad, but they really had no choice but to hope that the hysteria of the princess Juana would gradually heal as they grew older.

"Ah, nothing," Giulio shook his head, "Her Royal Highness is not the kind of person to be disgusted - on the contrary, she ...... It should be said that he is one of the few people in the world who still maintains the heart of a child. ”

Gonzalo was taken aback by such a comment, knowing that even Juana's biological mother, Isabella I, was so disgusted with this mad daughter that she even told the minister that if it were not her daughter, she would send her to the Inquisition for Juana's disrespectful behavior towards her, and let them interrogate her as if she were a witch, but he also knew something about Giulio's character, and he did not think that the young archbishop was deliberately complimenting or talking back.

"Do you really think so?" Curiously, he asked, perhaps, when he returned to Spain, he could once again take a serious look at the crown prince, who was said to be very unimpressive.

Giulio nodded, he certainly wasn't duplicitous - Juana seemed insane, but in fact he was ...... is too simple, I don't know what kind of education she received before she became the crown prince, maybe the person who taught deliberately isolated her from the outside world in order to avoid some problems, for more than ten years, from childhood to adulthood, her heart has not actually grown up at all. So much so, after her "shell" was shattered by a sudden change, she couldn't face the raging malice that came with power - she couldn't understand why she had tried her best to do her best, but she still couldn't be satisfied, and she didn't understand that she had not committed any mistakes, but she was to be ruthlessly punished, she could only desperately tell herself that she was different, chosen, irreplaceable, because she only had a little bit of dignity to rely on. If these were destroyed, she might have collapsed in an instant.

She is probably the most "child" child Giulio has ever seen since he came to this era......

This is one of the reasons why Giulio is willing to see her, and the second reason is that Gonzalo in front of him. Morality. Córdoba too.

"There's something I should probably let you know." Giulio said, "Gonzalo, my friend," and his serious expression made Gonzalo uneasy, "Earlier, a man from Penzance had made a pilgrimage to Rome, and he said to the people, "I want a relic from me, of course, this is a lie, and I am not a saint," he raised his hand and motioned for Gonzalo to listen, "but he insisted, there was a boatload of people who had escaped from the storm and the flames of the devil because of my relic, and the owner of that relic, a young woman named Juana." , was the crown prince of the Kingdom of Spain, and her husband, Philip Philip, crown prince of the Holy Roman Empire, was also by her side. He swore that the knights of Winza Castle had picked them up—and that had been a month ago. ”

Gonzalo's face changed immediately, "I haven't heard anything about this!" ”

"Then you should know if your royal daughter has arrived in Spain?"

"I thought she was supposed to arrive." Gonzalo said that he had returned to Spain to bid farewell to his benefactor, Isabella I, who had trusted him and was generous and benevolent, and to witness Juana's succession to her mother's throne, but he thought that he had not received any more letters from his cousin since his daughter had left Rome, but he thought it was because he had left Naples.

"Is it Henry VII?" Gonzalo asked himself, "Why did he do this?" He hurried around the small room, like a beast in captivity.

"You should ask what he can gain by doing this." Giulio said slowly, "And what benefit can the one who gives him the benefit get?" ”

Gonzalo was not a fool, he only thought for a moment before he understood, the gentle mask faded from his face, leaving a hideous and terrifying face—this is the face of a man who has thrown most of his life on the battlefield, "Ferdinand I!" He clenched his fists and shouted, "He wants Spain!" ”

Well, it's strange not to want it, not half, but the whole of Spain, although he and Isabella I are nominally equal, Spain belongs to the two kings, but for most of the time and occasion, Isabella I's presence is much stronger than that of this prince.

In the time when Isabella I was dying, and Juana and Philip, the heirs of succession, were detained at Winza Castle in England, unable to come to the queen's bed to receive her last blessings and gifts, the prince must have tried to take the opportunity to win over or persuade the old courtiers who were already disappointed with Juana, so as to seize the throne of Castile, and become the sole ruler of Spain in his lifetime, not Juana.

Therefore, he could not wait to order Gonzalo to order Gonzalo before the French had completely evacuated Naples. Morality. Córdoba returned to Spain and stripped him of his governorship and the title of general, separating him from his army for fear that he would side with Juana, and in any case, Gonzalo had initially pledged allegiance to Isabella of Castile, not Ferdinand of Aragon.

"I'm sorry," once he figured it out, Gonzalo certainly wouldn't be so stupid enough to go back to Spain alone, "I'm going back to Naples right away." "Take his lads and go to England to welcome back their future queen!

————————

Catherine stood outside Juana's door, physically and mentally exhausted, and her sister was a rare sensitive, and when she found out that they were intent on putting her and her husband under house arrest at Winza Castle, she quarreled so much, and fortunately she was so clever that Henry VII's soldiers took her up without much effort, and sent her to her room and locked up, while her father-in-law, Henry VII, pretended to ask her to talk to his sister, to reassure her, not to let her cry so endlessly—but he did not come forward at all, Catherine knew why, of course—if her sister Juana had succeeded to the Castile throne unharmed, her father-in-law would have the audacity to say that he knew nothing about it.

But Catherine did not want to speak to Juana at all, she had always hated this sister, except for her madness, which was Juana's face, which was indeed the most outstanding of the three sisters, with black hair, white skin, and red lips, and her husband, little Henry, as soon as he saw her, immediately offered his courtesy, in the presence of her wife and sister!

And now that Juana is their mother's heir, they are about to own a whole vast and rich kingdom.

She couldn't help but be jealous.

And just when she thought of little Henry, little Henry appeared, and as soon as he saw Catherine, he turned and left, but was grabbed by Catherine, "Where are you going, Your Highness?" ”

What little Henry hates the most is his former sister-in-law, his current wife's weird way of speaking, to be honest, they have not been sweet, after all, young men and women, but Catherine's face can only be described as ordinary...... and the figure of the flat plate, no matter how much fat powder and wool pads have not been able to improve slightly...... He was also forced to do so.

Catherine's eyes were quick, and she suddenly pulled a leather bag from Little Henry's belt, and before Little Henry could stop her, she opened the mouth of the bag, and poured it into her hand, and a diamond the size of a hazelnut immediately stung her eyes; "Who are you going to give it to? My sister? ”

“…… I'm not, I don't, you talk nonsense! ”

"Don't deny it," Catherine said bitterly, "isn't it you the one who said last night that he regretted not being able to marry a beautiful woman with a Spanish dowry?" ”

Without waiting for little Henry to refute, she continued angrily: "But don't expect this, not to mention whether my mother, father, and the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire agree, whether His Excellency the Pope agrees, and even my sister, she will not agree, if you don't believe it, just listen to what she is shouting?" ”

And as if to echo her words, Juana screamed again.

"My dearest husband! My dearest Philip! ”

Little Henry's face suddenly turned blue and red, which made Catherine giggle with laughter, and could hardly stop laughing.

"My dearest saint! My dearest saint! My dearest saint! ”

Juana shouted again.

"Who is this calling?" Little Henry asked with a strange expression, "Is her patron saint?" ”

"I don't know," replied Catherine dryly, "much more than her dearest husband, her dearest Philip, anyway. What, you're still going to count them all? ”

Little Henry glared at her, snatched back the leather bag from her hand, and turned and walked away.

Catherine spat on his back, but before a moment little Henry returned.

"If only you could do the same in Latin." Catherine quipped, "Or may I open the door and let you in for a dip in love?" ”

"Stop talking nonsense," this time little Henry's face really darkened: "The Spaniards are coming." ”

./13_

.。 m.